Journeys and Music
by Yoruko Rhapsodos
Summary: After graduating college, Kagome didn't know what to do with herself so she decided to travel. While in Italy, she ran into an old friend. They decide to travel together, and after something completely unexpected happens find themselves getting closer than they ever thought possible... evenetual Kagome/Aruto and Amu/Ikuto


Summary: Kagome had graduated from college, but she still didn't know what she wanted to do. So she decided to travel Europe, hoping seeing some of the world could help her decide. While in Italy, she unexpectedly met up with an old friend. Neither having a particular purpose or destination, they decided to travel together. After some unexpected things, they find themselves closer than ever. Eventual Kagome/Aruto, past Aruto/Ikuto's mom, Amu/Ikuto

Disclaimer: Yoruko Rhapsodos doesn't own Inuyasha or Shugo Chara.

**Chapter One:**

**Reunion**

Kagome Higurashi hummed a random piece of classical music as she enjoyed the sights of Rome. She was glad she had refused to consider Ayumi's suggestion about tours. Tsukasa had been right-the only way to travel when you were travelling without a particular destination or anything you had to do combing with enjoying yourself and your location without acting like the tourist you technically were.

You got to see things the locals and knowledgeable travelers complain most tourists miss out on. As a result you also got a chance to gain the respect of the locals, especially if you already knew the language. Gaining locals' respect came with some very nice perks, Kagome had found quickly. If you didn't know the language, this method of travel even provided the opportunity to pick it up naturally.

Kagome's misadventures in Feudal Japan had ended years ago, shortly before she graduated high school. She attended a local community college a year later when she finally arrived at the conclusion that there was no way she would enjoy being a flight attendant. Journeying all over Feudal Japan had make Kagome realize that she loved to travel. But such a profession would have left her without control over the destination. Besides, Kagome had never taken rude or unjustly hostile treatment well therefore she knew she wouldn't handle the grumpier travelers well.

After managing to get the general required courses out of the way within a single year, she had joined her childhood friend Aruto Tsukiyomi at his college. Which he'd informed her had an excellent program for art majors. The year Aruto, Kagome, and their friends- both new and old- graduated she chose continuing her studies over getting a job with encouragement from Aruto and their friend since they'd all been children, Tsukasa Hotori.

The thought of her best friends brought a smile to her face, especially Aruto. Tsukasa always proved the best in terms of advice, true. But Aruto had been her rock in the sea during rough times. It didn't matter if it was trouble of some kind or just something sad or worrisome, he'd always been there for her. Aruto, after all, had been the one to give her courage to face up the truth about what way she cared about Inuyasha and give up on the notion of romance with him.

It had been for the best in the end; her feelings had turned out to be familial at the most and the hanyou had only ever had affections beyond just a friend because she was supposed to be Kikyou's reincarnation. Whether she really had anything to do with Kikyou beyond the Shikon no Tama no one would ever know, Kagome was sure.

Kagome sincerely hoped Aruto was happy… wherever he was. During his final year of college, he married his girlfriend- the heiress to the Easter Corporation, a big company. They had their first child, a boy they named Ikuto, not even a year later. But then the company began to threaten his freedom and even his family because he refused to take over for his wife's late father.

In the end, Aruto Tsukiyomi was left without options. The musician hadn't had any other choice besides give in so he was forced to run. Aruto had confided in Tsukasa and even left him a letter for Kagome concerning the matter. He also left Tsukasa's cousin, another friend of theirs, a silent request to look after his family in the form of his Dumptey Key, which only Kagome and Tsukasa ever realized he wanted the younger Hotori to eventually give to Ikuto.

Kagome had always understood Aruto's actions. To this day, she didn't hold her friend's choice against him. If Tsukasa had already known even before the musician approached him, Kagome would never know. But that was far from important in comparison to other things.

The years since they had met Aruto's wife had taught Kagome and Aruto a very disturbing fact. The business world could be a very cold place, and wasn't always above cruelty even in the best of companies. The situation Aruto and Hikari Tsukiyomi's son and daughter were in was testament to that. Utau tended to be very busy the past couple of years, Kagome had hardly seen her. But when she could the ex time traveler still checked in on Ikuto for Aruto. Goodness knew the boy needed _someone _besides Tsukasa he could turn to if things got dire.

Just then, Kagome spotted a nice looking café. Kagome had taken to leaving dinner as the only big meal she had during her travels. It left her well able to sample as much as she could of what a culture had to offer. So it was only natural that the sight made her realize that she was getting hungry. The weather was wonderful, too. It was sunny but not too bright or too hot. So she sat at a table outside when told to sit wherever she would like.

She'd just gotten comfortable when she heard a voice speaking right into her ear. "Boo."

Kagome jumped, turned… and saw a familiar face; one she hadn't seen in years. "Aruto! It's been a long time."

"To be exact, it's been ten years." he pointed out.

She smiled. "True. I'm happy to see that you're doing a lot better. Your current lifestyle must suit you."

Kagome had been the last person to actually see Aruto Tsukiyomi when he'd still been in Japan that knew him. At the time he'd been very stressed and worn out. Worrying about his family only made things worse. That had been very contradictory to what Tsukasa told her his cousin and his cousin's wife seemed to think. Easter had had too much power for even Aruto to disappear on his own, for all he was like a cat. So Kagome had used her late father's old contacts from his no longer existent small business to help him get out of the country. After all, it had been a relatively unimportant company but it had been highly successful.

"How are they?" Aruto asked, clearly referring to his family.

"Your daughter is a currently a famous model turned singer known as Utau Hoshina. She's a relatively cold girl with the biggest brother complex I've ever seen or heard of." Kagome informed her friend in exasperation, and then said with a grin, "Ikuto, however, has grown up fairly well considering the circumstances. He's calm and usually indifferent but he's a nice, down to earth boy, and he's like a cat- kind of like you. I don't know them that well, though. It's been two years since I've seen Utau and checking on Ikuto rarely includes a chance to actually interact with him nowadays."

"… A cat?"

"Intelligent even if you doesn't necessarily show it, mischievous or crafty when it suits your purpose, fond of teasing those you deem worthy of your time, nimble and semi acrobatic but lazy, and a refusal to listen to anyone." Kagome listed, "You always reminded me of a cat or a good pirate. Ikuto's not very different. He even looks a lot like you."

"… I always knew that the Feudal Era made you weird." Aruto stated with a smirk.

"That right there is exactly what I mean." Kagome said with a smirk of her own, "You just proved me right."

Aruto just laughed. "I really missed you Kagome."

"I missed you too, Aruto. You're the only sensible _and_ sane friend I have." she said.

"Tsukasa always did have his heads in the clouds, the navy haired male agreed, "So… what brings you to Italy?"

"I decided to travel." she said, "Italy just so happened to be the first place I decided to go to."

Aruto chuckled slightly. "We really are more similar than anyone tends to realize, just like you dad used to say."

Both knew it was true. They were both relatively pleasant to be around… Until someone they cared about was threatened or some fool made them mad. Neither liked violence but had never hesitated to defend their loved ones. Each had a sense of humor that almost never came out unless they were teasing someone they were particularly close to. But more than anything, the two friends shared a love for travel, and for music. They even looked forward to the journey more than the destination at times.

"Not that we ever needed anyone to tell us that." Kagome said, smiling, "Our natural 'saving people thing' as Souta decided to call it always drove my mom nuts."

Aruto just chuckled. The kind woman who had raised his friend had only needed about a quarter of the things he'd gotten into with Kagome to explain how Kagome's time-travel escapades hadn't fazed her.

"How _is_ Tsukasa by the way;" Aruto asked, "Is he still making a living out of making people's head spin?"

"He's eccentric as ever, and would he do anything else?" Kagome informed the male sitting across from her, "He's also gained a not quite secret delight in driving your son nuts and confusing his cousin's son with cryptic messages."

"That sounds just like him." Aruto commented with a snort.

"Tsukasa also sounds like he's even started to fancy himself a matchmaker." Kagome added conspiratorially, "He talks about this girl that Ikuto is supposedly close to and then sometimes rambles on about how 'the stars say their destinies are intertwined.'"

Aruto just raised an eyebrow. "If Ikuto's really anything like me the way you said then talking like that will only make it worse."

"I don't know about that, something seemed different the last time I saw the kid… but we'll just have to wait and see." Kagome said.

Little did either know that the unexpected encounter meant that their destinies were much more intertwined than either ever knew or guessed. Nor did they know that their stories were not just intertwined but far from over. Rather than waiting for the epilogue or ending, the adventures were just beginning for the two of them.

**Owari**


End file.
